Recording family histories

Sir Lionel Lindsay family ca. 1940

Recording Family Histories

Topics Covered

✤ Deciding who to interview

✤ Where to interview

✤ What equipment to use

✤ What questions to ask

✤ Preserving the recordings

Who to interview

Things to consider

✤ Age

✤ Older is not always better

✤ Younger people can offer perspective on older people or family.

✤ Willingness

✤ Unwilling people can be more guarded or they feel forced and may not get as good of answers.

✤ Time commitment

✤ Can be time consuming

Where to interview

✤ Some people might be more conformable at home or other familiar location

✤ Others might be better served being away from home or familiar location

✤ Time of day is a factor

✤ Some people will be more alert in morning or afternoon or even evening.

Equipment

✤ Lots of choices

✤ Things to consider

✤ Price points

Smartphone

✤ Easy to use

✤ No special equipment

✤ Lost of software choices

✤ Not the best audio

✤ Easy to share with others

Creativity Lab

✤ Free

✤ Sound proof room

✤ Great sound quality

✤ Need to learn or know software

✤ Classes offered

✤ Takes time

Portable Recorders

✤ Can be expensive

✤ From $50-$500

✤ Good to great sound recording

✤ May require additional stuff

✤ Memory card

✤ Good for preserving stories

Questions to Your Interviewee

✤ What was it like growing up in ____?

✤ If married or partner, how did you meet your ______?

✤ What was your favorite radio or TV show growing up?

✤ Is there anything else that you feel is important to discuss?

✤ https://storycorps.org/great-questions/

“17 Most Essential Radio Interview Tips,” Success in Media, http://www.successinmedia.com/radio-interview-tips/

Saving the Interview& Sharing the interview

✤ Soundcloud

✤ Youtube

✤ Vimeo

✤ StoryCorps app for iPhone

✤ Save on to CD or DVD

✤ Not cheap

✤ Delkin Devices Archival Gold™ 52x CD-R Discs (25-Pack) from Gaylord Brothers $89.50

Resources

✤ https://storycorps.org/do-it-yourself-guide/

✤ To Our Children’s Children by Bob Greene & D.G. Fulford

✤ Creativity Lab at Peabody Institute

✤ Local History Resource Center

✤ Transcribing links

✤ http://www.mnhs.org/collections/oralhistory/ohtranscribing.pdf

✤ http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/TD/TP_RES/docs/otherpublications/guide_to_transcribing_and_summarizing_oral_histories.pdf

✤ Chicago Manual of Style (current edition)

Questions?

FIN